Mind Over Matter
by NixIndeed
Summary: Petya Egorov doesn't just kidnap his victims. The reality of this comes crashing down on the Hardy's in ways that they may not recover from.
1. Chapter 1

_**3:00 am**_

The call came without warning.

Fenton was in his office, papers scattered around him in disarray. His head was at rest in his hands, and empty cups of coffee were scattered around him. A sigh pushed its way past his lips as he yet again let his eyes travel over the evidence they had gathered, which was a pitifully small amount. Each piece of evidence did hold one thing in common though, and that was a name. Petya Egorov. His name popped out both in the papers and in Fenton's mind. "Egorov Strikes Again!" and "Victim of Egorov Commits Suicide!" The title screamed at him, mocking his inability to find any clues to where Egorov was.

He had been about to stop looking over the evidence for the night, knowing he would get nowhere with a weary mind when his phone had rung. He started from his seat, his eyes shooting to the phone, panic coursing through his veins as he saw that the call was from Collig. At this time of night, there were only a few possibilities of what it was about. Picking the phone up, he spoke.

"Fenton here. What's happened Collig?"

The man on the other line let out a small sigh, sensing Fenton's nerves before he replied.

"Fenton, we just recovered Lilly Williams. Some local found her unconscious in a park."

Fenton ran a hand through his hair. He had been looking for this girl for almost three months, ever since the day she had been taken by none other than Petya Egorov. Before her, it was a 15-year-old boy that had been taken, and before him, three others at random ages and genders. Each had seemed to be plucked from their lives for an amount of time and returned in horrific mental states. And each time, Fenton had scrambled to get a lead, a hint, or anything on this serial kidnapper, but only ever had an empty notebook at the end of the day.

"Has she said anything yet?" Fenton questioned, his mind now on high alert.

"She hasn't. When she first awoke she wouldn't let anyone touch her." Fenton heard a sigh on the other side of the line. "She was terrified of her parents or boyfriend even just trying to hold her hand. I'm pretty sure she didn't say more than ten words, and most of them were along the lines of 'stop' and 'don't touch me'. Egorov really did a number on her."

"Alright," came Fenton's tired reply, "Thanks for letting me know Collig. Please call me if any more details arise."

"Of course." A pause was heard from Collig. "Get some rest, Fenton."

A click was heard to end the call, and Fenton slammed his phone down. He had failed again. Another innocent person's mind had been held subject and broken by Egorov.

' _I will find you. Petya Egorov, I will find you and you will pay for your crimes.'_

XxXxX

 _ **10:00 am**_

Joe awoke to the sound of his brother's aggravated voice.

"Get up, Joe! Dad has news about the case."

Those words awoke him, and he sat up from his bed, rubbing his weary eyes. His eyes went to meet Frank's, and he smirked at the exasperated look on his face.

"My god, I've been calling your name for five minutes straight! How heavy of a sleeper are you?"

Joe scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You know, it would be nice to wake up to a pretty face instead of yours." Grinning at his brother's withering look, he shot to the bathroom and called out the door, "Give me ten minutes and I'll be downstairs."

True to his word, Joe walked into the kitchen where his brother and father sat but ten minutes later. He was greeted with his father's solemn voice.

"Egorov just dropped off another victim."

Joe's eyebrows knitted themselves together, worry evident on his face. "Did we get any leads about where he is?"

A sigh made its way past his father's lips. "No, nothing actually. All we know now," There was a pause before he spoke again, "Is that Egorov is ready to strike again, and I want you boys to be very careful. Understand?"

Frank beat Joe to the answer. "Of course. We wouldn't be anything else." Frank shifted his brown eyes to Joe. "Speaking of being careful bro, don't you have a date with Vanessa in a half an hour?

Joe's eyebrows shot up, his eyes flying to the clock. "Aw, shoot! She's gonna kill me!" He punched a laughing Frank in the arm as he ran upstairs to get his coat and shoes on. Frank gave him a little sarcastic wave as he sprinted out of the door and to the car, and could have sworn that Joe flipped him off, a grin on his face.

"I'll be back before eleven!"

XxXxX

 _ **8 Hours Later**_

Frank's phone rang at exactly 6: 30. Casually holding it up to his ear he asked, "Frank here, who's this?" without looking up from his book. The reply he got made him drop his book altogether.

"Frank, it's Collig. I couldn't get a hold of your father. There's been an accident."

XxXxX

 **Hello All!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the story!**

 **Review if you wish!**

 **~Nix**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ah, chapter two of this story! Many thanks to all those who reviewed.**

 **Enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **XxXxX**_

 _ **2:00 pm**_

Joe watched as his girlfriend danced in front of him, her brilliant blonde hair falling over her alluring eyes. A grin took over the 21-year-old's face as she ceased her dancing to come sit on his lap, her lips inches from his. The best part about coming home from college in summers was seeing his girlfriend almost every day.

"Why are you not dancing?" Came her playful voice, a hand coming up to tangle itself in his hair.

"I wouldn't be able to watch you." His voice was entrancing to Vanessa, and she swatted him lightly on the arm, trying not to blush.

"You're such a flirt," she told him, sliding off his lap and pulling him by the hand onto the restaurants small dance floor. Joe grinned, twirling Vanessa as she laughed, her dress billowing beautifully around her.

' _How did I ever get so lucky?'_ He thought to himself, staring unashamedly at his girlfriend once again. She was way out of his league, but somehow, she had been by his side in his hardest times, always when he needed her.

The music pounded once more, and Joe swung Vanessa around gracefully, ending up inches from her face. He pressed his forehead against hers, letting his eyes slowly close and his lips move forward.

Of course, their lips never met, for at what seemed like the absolute worst time, someone slammed into Joe, their drink spilling onto his clothes. Joe and Vanessa broke apart, and Joe's eyes flew up to whoever bumped into him.

"I'm so, so sorry!" Came a voice, and Joe saw a young waitress looking at him guiltily. Joe sighed and flicked some of the water from his shirt.

"It's fine, no one was hurt." His voice and annoyed expression portrayed otherwise, and the waitress scampered off to get him a towel, another apology coming from her lips as she did.

Vanessa's tinkling laugh met his ears but a moment later. He turned to her, a bemused expression on his face.

"Are you laughing at me?"

Another laugh escaped her before she replied, "You're cute when you're flustered." Joe immediately smiled, his frustration vanishing. He could never stay mad when Vanessa was around him.

As they left the restaurant, which, to Joe's surprise had given him a discount for their meals, and walked to Joe's car, he snaked an arm around her, pulling her close to him. In the car, they played music loudly, singing along as they drove along.

XxXxX

 _ **4:00 pm**_

Somehow, they ended up in a nearby park. Vanessa ran through the trees, her dress flowing behind her. A laugh escaped her as she felt familiar arms wrap around her.

"Got you!" Came Joe's voice, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Vanessa wriggled out of his arms, and retorted, all the while smiling,

"I think we're a little too old to be playing hide and seek."

Vanessa watched as Joe gave her his signature grin, and proceeded to capture her in his arms once again.

"Who says? I think whoever said that to you has forgotten what real fun is."

Vanessa laughed, about to respond that Frank had actually said that to her once, but stopped short when Joe suddenly tensed and released her from his arms.

"Joe, what is it?" Her voice rang out through the new silence, and her wary eyes traveled to Joe's now alert ones. Vanessa saw his mouth open to answer, his virgil eyes never stopping their search, when a gunshot sounded. It reverberated through the forest in a terrifying manner, Vanessa's ears still ringing as Joe grabbed her hand and shouted,

"Run, Van!" He dragged her along towards where their car was, to what Joe thought would be safety and escape from whoever was around them. Oh, how wrong he was.

Joe had just grabbed the door handle when Vanessa's hand was wrenched out of his. A cry of surprise came from her as she was yanked back, and Joe immediately spun around, ready to fight anyone who had the nerve to touch his girlfriend. The fight within him died as he saw the gun pressed to her head, and a face that Joe had never wanted to see in real life before him. Words fell from his lips in an astonished whisper.

"Egorov."

Fear crashed down on Joe like a wave, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. A cruel smile took its place on the man holding Vanessa. ' _It's like some sort of demented cheshire cat.'_ Joe noted to himself, not moving a muscle in fear of Vanessa getting hurt.

"Ah, you know me." His voice was thick with a russian accent. "Then you know I do not joke when I say that if you do not do what I tell you, I will blow your lady's pretty little head off." Vanessa gave a little gasp as he tightened his grip on her, the gun pressing dangerously against her head. When Joe made no moves forward, Egorov spoke again.

"Now, the fun can begin."

Joe's vision erupted in black as he was struck from behind, collapsing to the ground.

XxXxX

 _ **6:00 pm**_

Frank shot up from the chair he had been sitting in as soon as he heard the words. The twenty-two-year-old's mind swirled with thoughts and ideas of what Collig could be talking about, his heart already pumping with anxiety.

"An accident? What...what happened?" The words felt as if they were ripped from his mouth, his brain screaming to not know, for Collig to tell him he had the wrong number. Alas, fate was not that kind.

"We just found your brother's car by a park." Frank's eyebrows furrowed. That in itself was nothing new. It was quite a regular occurrence for Joe and Vanessa to travel around, stopping at seemingly random places. There was a pause on the other side of the line. Frank could almost feel Collig thinking, trying to find words to say next. Frank prayed that that was it, that the police had just found his brother's car, and Collig would laugh into the phone as he saw Joe and Vanessa and realized his mistake. He wanted anything, anything other than the next sentence he heard.

"Frank, the tires were shot out, and we searched the area for Joe. No one could locate him, and there were trace amounts of blood around the car." A heavy sigh filled the air, Collig's voice seeming strained and tired. "Could you tell your father and meet us down here? We're at 43rd and Parker Street."

Frank didn't answer. _Couldn't_ answer. He felt as if his jaw had stopped working, and no amount of force would pry it open. His mouth had gone inexplicably dry, and his hand clenched around the phone as if it were a lifeline. Collig's voice pulled him from his stupor.

"Frank? Frank, are you there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll tell my dad." His voice came out a whisper, barely audible to Collig. "But Chief, it wasn't just Joe. He was on a date with Vanessa."

A sharp intake a breath was all that proved Collig was shaken in any way. "Alright, thank you, Frank. I'll alert her parents."

Frank hung up with a flick of his wrist, darting up the stairs in record time, bursting into his father's study, awakening him from his slumber. His father immediately stood up, sensing something was wrong from his usually stoic son.

"What's wrong, Frank?" Came his worried voice, and Frank didn't know if he wanted to answer. How he wished it wasn't real.

"Joe and Van went missing. Their car was found in a park, and the tires were shot out." Frank's voice was flat, but the unmistakable shake of fear proved how worried he was. "Chief Collig said to come down there as soon as we could."

He could visibly see his father processing the information, eyebrows furrowed and mouth pursed in both concentration and pain. He proceeded to nod, grabbing his phone from off his desk, and started to walk towards the door. His voice was strained as he spoke to Frank.

"You drive. I'm going to call your mother."

Frank's heart skipped a beat as he thought of his mother. She was out of town for a business trip, and had no idea anything was happening. She would be devastated. Joe was her baby. ' _Why does this always happen to us?'_ Frank thought as he got in the front seat of the car, starting to drive to the address Collig had given him. As he drove, his father pulled out his phone and dialed what Frank knew to be his mother's number. This was not going to be a pretty conversation.

Fenton closed his eyes as he heard his wife's voice.

"Fenton! Hi, I just got done with a business meeting." Fenton's voice threatened to fail him as he spoke, already dreading the conversation.

"Laura, honey, there's been an accident. Well...sort of an accident." He rambled on, not wanting to get to the point, when Laura interrupted him, her voice scared and hard.

"Fenton. What happened?" Drawing a deep breath, he said the words that he didn't want to be true.

"Joe and Vanessa went missing. Nobody knows where they are." There was a pause on the other side of the line.

"I'm coming home." Fenton shook his head, forgetting she couldn't see him.

"You don't need to do that, I'll keep you informed if and when we find anything at all. Frank and I are driving to the scene right now, we don't even know the full extent of what happened." Knowing that his wife could be in danger if she came home, Fenton immediately wanted to keep her where she would be safe. A huff on the other side of the line made Fenton realize that convincing his wife of this might not be so simple.

"Fenton, if you think for one second that I'm going to be away while my child is kidnapped, think again. Not only that, but you and Frank are going to need someone to take care of you. God knows how you throw yourselves at projects and forget to take care of yourselves."

A small smile formed on his face at his wife's stubbornness. ' _I know where Joe gets it.'_ Knowing his wife was right, he relented immediately.

"Okay, but when you get here, call me so I know you made it alright." Fenton didn't know what he would do if anything ever happened to Laura. She was his constant, his only love.

"Of course honey, I'll call you first thing." Fenton heard his wife sigh. "Bring my boy home, Fenton. I love you."

Fenton's reply of his love ended the phone call, and he rested his head back on the head rest, knowing his wife was absolutely right. He needed her in every way. ' _Be safe, my love._ '

Frank pulled up to the park fifteen minutes later, stealing occasional glances at his father who seemed to be lost in thought. As soon as he stopped the car though, Fenton seemed to snap out of his mind, and got out of the car almost as fast as Frank did. Frank stepped beside Chief Collig straight away, his voice laden with worry as he asked,

"What did you find so far?" Fenton was beside him the next moment, listening carefully to Collig's words.

"Unfortunately, not much. We dusted their car for fingerprints, but didn't find any good ones, except for one of Joe's, and besides a few neighbours saying they _might_ have heard a few shouts and some gunshot, there are no witnesses."

Frank felt himself pale. ' _Gunshots?'_ Trying to calm himself with the memory of Collig saying that only the tires had been shot out of Joe's car, he questioned, "Was there any blood?" Collig's eyes flickered to Frank for a moment, as if considering what to say.

"Yes," seeing Frank's eyes widen, he quickly clarified, "But it wasn't enough blood for us to consider it being from someone who was shot." Relaxing ever so slightly, Frank heard his father speak.

"Collig, who do you think did it?" Eyebrows creasing at his father's question, Frank turned his gaze towards his father. It only took him a few seconds to see what he was getting at.

"Dad, you don't think…" Frank trailed off, not wanting to complete the sentence. Fenton ran a hand through his brown hair that matched Frank's and sighed.

"It makes sense, doesn't it? He just got rid of the last person he kidnapped, and now someone else is gone."

Collig raised his eyebrows at the exchange, until Fenton's last sentence. It dawned on him all at once. "You think this was Egorov."

Frank's chest tightened at the name, and at the way his father nodded solemnly. This wasn't right. He was supposed to protect Joe, and yet he was standing at another place that Joe had been harmed. Frank ran a hand through his hair, just as his father had, knowing that that wasn't particularly true. His brother was a grown man, ' _even though at times he acts like a six-year-old.'_ Frank could never constantly keep watch over his overactive brother, even when they were young, and now that he was a 21-year-old, it was even harder. He had Vanessa and college to worry about, just as Frank had Callie.

' _Still,'_ he mused, gazing to where he knew Joe and Vanessa must have been hours before, ' _He's my baby brother.'_

 _XxXxX_

 **Thanks for reading, leave a review if you wish!**

 **Till next time,**

 **Nix**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Quite sorry for the wait, life seems to come at unexpected moments.**

 **But anyways, here is another chapter for you all!**

 **Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, I really appreciate them.**

 **XxXxX**

He awoke to a pounding in his head.

His eyes slowly cracked open, light pouring in and stinging his vision. His mouth opened as if to call out, but no sound escaped him. He placed his hands beneath him, attempting to push off the ground, albeit he only had risen about an inch before his head started to spin at a disorientating rate, and a wave of nausea washed over him. Quickly turning to the side, he poured the contents of his stomach onto the cold floor below him.

After, he was so exhausted he could do little but push himself away from his vomit and slowly drift off into unconsciousness again.

The second time Joe woke, he had more success. The light above him no longer felt as if it was pricking his retinas, and he was able to push himself off the ground, and look around. Confusion became prevalent in his mind as he desperately scrambled to remember why he was...here. Wherever here was.

It came back to him the next instant. Joe wished it didn't.

He immediately shot up and surveyed the tiny room he was in. Besides a small cot, a toilet, and a camera that pointed at him from the ceiling, the room was bare. There was no sign of Vanessa.

' _Maybe she got away. Maybe Egorov just took me, and left her there.'_ He thought hopefully, his eyes trailing up to look directly into the camera that stared back at him, seemingly taunting him. If Egorov had let Vanessa go, he could at least have the peace of knowing that she was safe. ' _Vanessa…'_ He let her face fill his mind, her light laughter and beautiful smile. She was the girl that had saved him from himself, so many years ago. She had brought him back from his lowest point and reminded him of what living really was.

Joe was snapped from his train of thought at the sound of the door opening behind him, and he spun around, unsure of what was to come. As his eyes took in the sight before him, the hope that had been inside of him just before slowly crumpled. An angry looking Vanessa, blindfolded and gagged, was shoved into his room, and he only was just able to catch her before she hit the ground. The door slammed shut beside them.

At the moment, Joe couldn't care less. His mind was completely focused on Vanessa, who now was struggling in his arms. He realized at once that she didn't know it was him.

"Van, babe, it's me."

She instantly stopped struggling and threw her arms around him instead, a muted cry of relief coming from behind her gag. Joe stopped hugging her only long enough to undo the blindfold and gag, a feeling of pure relief coming over him when he could see no injuries on her. Still, his mind wouldn't be calm until he knew for sure that they didn't touch her.

"Did they hurt you?"

She broke out of his arms for a second to look him in the eyes, and to answer,

"No, they didn't do anything to me except what you saw. I was knocked out right after you were, and then I woke up in a room just like this. I wouldn't stop yelling at them when they tried to take me to your room, so they gagged me."

Joe smiled inwardly. ' _That's my girl.'_

His vivid blue eyes met her stormy grey ones as she continued to talk, her head now resting on his shoulder.

"Some guy that looks just like Egorov knocked you out. My guess was that they were brothers."

She paused, letting out a sigh, her voice shaking slightly.

"Joe, what are we going to do? Your dad and Frank don't have any leads on this case."

Joe took the time to shift his grip on Vanessa until he was holding her hand, searching for words to say. He went with the first thing that came to his mind, the only thing he could think of to say. The only thing that was true.

"We're going to get through it. Together. Just like so many times before, right babe? We're one hell of a team."

Vanessa slowly smiled, her tense body visibly relaxing at his words. Her voice was strong as she replied.

"Yeah we are."

The door swung open behind them.

Joe's heart picked up its pace as he turned and saw Egorov, staring at them with a cruel smirk on his lips, approaching them with a gun in hand. Egorov's swept over them, his eyebrows raising just a hair. His heavy russian accent split the silence a second later.

"Ah, wasn't that reunion touching. Now, I would appreciate it if you would line up against the back wall."

He gestured with his gun as he spoke, seemingly nonchalant. Joe stood with caution, stepping in front of Vanessa as he did, shielding her from Egorov.

"What do you want?" Joe asked, his voice low and hard, his hand meeting Vanessa's once again, meshing his fingers with hers. Egorov simply looked bored as he spoke.

"At the moment, I would like you to go to the back wall and stand there, unless you want me to waste a bullet already. And that wouldn't be any fun for me. So go."

Pushing down his stubbornness for the moment, knowing that Egorov's threat wasn't empty, he and Vanessa took their places along the back wall. As they did so, another man entered the room, one who just as Vanessa had said, resembled Egorov. In his hand, he held a chair, which he placed in the middle of the room, and handcuffs. Both objects sent a chill down Joe's spine, and he felt Vanessa grip his hand a little tighter. Egorov spoke once again, addressing the couple.

"This is my brother, Vadim. He probably won't say much to you, but nonetheless, you will treat him with the utmost respect, and obey whatever he says, if he decides to talk to you. If any of you decide to bring harm to him," He leaned forward, his eyes dark, "I will make you wish for something as sweet as pain." He paused as Vadim finished setting the chair in the middle of the room, and now watched with dark eyes as his brother continued to speak. "Now, Joseph, if you would be so kind as to let Vanessa go so she can sit down by me." He patted the chair with the gun, cocking his head to the side.

' _How does he know our names?'_ Joe wondered, gritting his teeth at Egorov's request. He felt Vanessa shift beside him, and Joe immediately stepped forward.

"No. You are not going to hurt her."

Joe didn't know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't for Egorov to start laughing. His eyebrows furrowed at the sound, and he turned slightly to look quizzically at Vanessa, who looked equally confused at the burst of laughter. Egorov's voice made his head snap back.

"That, Joseph, is entirely up to you." He told them, motioning once again for Vanessa to sit down. This time, Vanessa complied. He then nodded at Vadim, who took the handcuffs and used them to secure Vanessa to the chair as Joe watched helplessly, for once at a loss of what to do. There was no doubt in his mind that if Petya Egorov wanted to kill either one of them, he would do it without batting an eye, or losing any sleep.

Only confirming Joe's thoughts, Egorov lifted his gun to place it against Vanessa's temple. She took in a quick breath, and his heart dropped. He was about to rush to her, but the look in Egorov's eyes told him that it would be a bad idea. Joe held his breath as Egorov spoke to him.

"As I said before, everything that happens to Vanessa is your choice."

"Is it now?" Joe spat dryly at the man, keeping his eyes trained on Vanessa's, trying to give her some semblance of comfort.

"Control your tongue, Joseph. And yes, you get to make a choice. Vadim?"

Egorov turned to his brother, the gun never slipping from the place where it rested at Vanessa's head. Oh, how Joe wished it would have. Vadim said nothing, but exited the room and came back a moment later, holding a small jar, whose contents he shook out onto the ground. ' _A spider?'_ Joe questioned in his mind, thoroughly confused. He looked to Egorov in confusion.

"Time to choose, Joseph. Kill the spider, or I kill Vanessa. You have a minute to decide."

Bewildered, Joe simply lifted his foot and crushed the spider beneath it, staring at Vanessa who had a perplexed look on her pretty face. Egorov watched closely, then smoothly removed the gun from Vanessa's head. A wave of relief came over Joe as he did so, and even more so when he released her from the cuffs. Joe barely noticed as Vadim left the room, taking the jar with him. Egorov stayed a moment longer, and smiled at Joe and Vanessa. Joe couldn't help but notice how dead his eyes looked, and Joe involuntarily shuddered. He could barely make eye contact as Egorov spoke to them.

"Very well done, Joseph. Sleep well."

And with that, he turned and left the room, leaving Joe and Vanessa to look at each other in bewilderment, and wonder what game Egorov was playing. Though Joe didn't know the answer, he did know one thing with certainty.

He and Vanessa were not going to lose.

XxXxX

 _ **11:30pm**_

The night had come too fast for Frank. Everyone had eventually given up and gone home from the scene at which Joe and Vanessa were taken, after gathering as much evidence as they could, Frank included, although he had not gone with any semblance of a peaceful mind. Nor would he have one until he found his brother.

Frank sighed from where he lay on his bed, his eyes wide open. Sleep would not come to him tonight. He could only wonder what was happening to Joe and Vanessa, and he prayed with everything in him that they would find them soon. ' _This always happens to Joe.'_ He thought ruefully, thinking back to all the times that Joe was kidnapped. His brother was truly a magnet for trouble. Frank was pretty sure Joe held the record for times in the hospital in the last year. And yet every time, Frank had had some leads or ideas of where he was, which helped him find his brother. This time, he had none. He didn't even know where to start to look for Joe. But he wouldn't give up. Egorov was going to be one of the most formidable foes that he had met, Frank knew, but that wouldn't stop him. He would find his brother.

' _I'll find you, little brother.'_

 **XxXxX**

 **Alright, chapter done!**

 **You may be a bit confused about what Egorov is doing, but worry not, all shall be revealed in time.**

 **Leave a review if you want!**

 **Till Next Time,**

 **Nix.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Without further ado, chapter four.**

 _ **XxXxX**_

 _ **7:00am**_

Laura Hardy sat quiet and still in the plane seat, her eyes staring blankly out of the window. Her knuckles were white from gripping the cup of undrunk soda, and her heart was heavy with the information she knew to be true.

Her baby had been kidnapped, had gotten himself in trouble, yet again.

And yet again, she was powerless to stop it, to do anything about it. She hated sitting and feeling helpless with every ounce of her being. Unfortunately, the logical side of her said that that was all she could do. But truly, when had she ever listened to logic?

Joe took after her in that way. In most ways, actually, but the most prominent being the way that he wore his heart on his sleeve. Never afraid to show emotion, Joe took on every problem with his heart in the lead, which many times led him into trouble. Not only this, but he had been a sensitive child, brave of course, both of her boys were, but sensitive and sweet nonetheless. He had grown understandably less so as he became older, but even still, he took everything anyone ever said to heart. ' _Especially Frank,'_ She thought, a sad smile playing on her lips.

Frank, of course, would never intentionally do or say anything to hurt his brother, but there had been one time, shortly after Iola had died, where both boys just seemed to snap from the stress of everything happening around them…..

 _Seventeen-year-old Joe Hardy sat at the dinner table, eyes fixed on the plate in front of him, not daring to look at his brother who he could sense was glaring daggers at him. They had just gotten back from finishing working on a case, and it had been more dangerous than either of the boys had bargained for. The tense silence continued at the table, before Fenton finally broke it._

" _Boys," Came his cautious voice, seeing that something had obviously happened between them, "How did the case go?"_

 _There was dead silence still, and Fenton thought at first that neither was going to answer his question. It was Frank that ultimately did, his voice angry and hard. Fenton noticed this at once, and cocked an eyebrow as his eldest son spoke._

" _Joe decided yet_ again _to almost get us killed."_

 _Fenton pursed his mouth, his eyes shooting over to Joe, who he was sure would have an angry retort. Strangely enough, Joe didn't speak a single word, but instead stared at his plate, pushing uneaten food around with the edge of his fork. Both of his boys were now acting out of character, Fenton thought grimly, his eyes flickering back to Frank as the boy started talking again._

" _Not only this, but he_ also _endangered the lives of several civilians, because, and I quote, he was '_ just a little spaced out _.' Apparently, he forgot ten years of training and seventeen years of common sense, but wait, maybe he never had any to begin with."_

 _Fenton's eyes shot to his wife, who was looking at him, concern etched on her features. Fenton completely understood why. While Frank and Joe had always had disputes, they had never been of this caliber before. And Joe had never once just sat there quietly. He decided at once that he needed to speak up. He turned to his younger son and asked in a quiet voice,_

" _Joe? Do you have anything to say about the matter?"_

 _Fenton certainly wasn't pleased to hear any of what Frank was saying, and would have a serious talk with Joe if any of it was true, but he wanted to hear Joe's side of the matter as well._

" _I'm sorry."_

 _Expecting an angry retort from Joe, he was unable to hide his surprise at his son's withdrawn apology. He barely had time to dwell on it though, before Frank was speaking again, his voice rising as he did._

" _You're sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, Joe! You risked your life, and other's lives. The entire time you were spaced out, even when I needed you to be fully there! You can't act like a moody teenager all the time! God Joe, grow up!"_

 _It did not go unnoticed to Fenton how his youngest son's jaw tense, and he finally turned his sapphire eyes up to Frank's. Fenton had never seen such anger and sadness at one time. Joe's reply was short and jerky, and Fenton could tell he was trying not to lose his temper as Frank had. (Which, Fenton thinks later, should have been the first sign something was wrong.)_

" _I said I was_ sorry _, Frank. What more do you want me to say?"_

" _I want you to get your head out of your ass for once!"_

 _Laura's voice came immediately after Frank's did._

" _Franklin Hardy, watch your mouth! Apologize to your brother."_

 _She was more than surprised when Frank completely ignored her, continuing on with his rant towards his little brother. Frank had never acted like this in all of his eighteen years of life, and Laura could only think that it was a bad time for it to come out now, with everything else happening around them. (Though, she would see later, that everything happening around them was the_ cause _of it.)_

" _No, I won't apologize to him!_ He's _the one who should apologize, constantly endangering everyone around him. You don't have a care in the world, do you, Joe? You do anything and everything you want, without even a thought about the consequences. Honestly, it's no wonder why you couldn't save Iola-"_

 _The second the angry words came from Frank's mouth, he realized what he had said. He slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide and haunted from the words he had just spoke to his brother. His voice came back a second later, all traces of anger gone from it, disintegrated._

" _Joe, oh my god, I didn't mean-"_

 _He never got to finish his sentence as Joe suddenly stood, his chair clattering to the floor. Tears were easily visible on his face as he shoved his plate off the table, sending it to the floor to shatter, the noise loud and sharp in the room. His eyes, now almost glowing with rage, met Frank's once again. The words he spoke next were cold and quiet, so deceivingly calm, yet rage radiated off of him in waves, almost palpable to his family around him._

" _Go to hell, Frank."_

 _He said nothing else, and neither did any of the other family as they watched him walk past all of them, and to the front door where he then disappeared into the cold night._

Laura was snapped from her thoughts as someone touched her on the shoulder, and she spun around, momentarily startled. Seeing it was just the flight attendant asking for garbage, she gave a weak smile, and handed her cup to the woman.

Turning back to the window, Laura sighed lightly. It had taken Joe and Frank almost a month to get completely over that fight, and she had been more than a little relieved when they finally did. Her boys were closer than any siblings she had ever seen, and it hurt her to see them fight, just as much as she knew it hurt them. Even though they only begrudgingly admitted it to each other, each boy knew that they needed the other. They were a perfect pair. ' _And now,'_ Laura thought sadly, ' _They have been ripped apart from each other yet again.'_

XxXxX

Although he tried, Joe could not sleep. Vanessa had convinced him to lay down a few hours ago, and he now lay on the hard cot, Vanessa wrapped in his arms. But try as he might, his eyes were ever open, and his mind ever whirring. He doubted Vanessa was truly sleeping either, and his suspicion was confirmed at the sound of her quiet voice.

"We're going to get out of here." She turned in his arms so she was now inches from his face, her grey-blue eyes staring sadly into his sapphire ones.

Joe badly wanted to agree with her, but something in him disagreed. And here he was supposed to be the optimistic one. An agreement almost slipped off of his tongue, but as he gazed at her, he realized he could do no such thing. Not to her. She deserved the truth, with everything. "We might. But...it's unlikely."

Vanessa stared mournfully at him, bringing her hand up to run it through his blonde locks. Joe could tell that she was thinking of something to say, and the silence that pervaded the air between them only confirmed it. Her fingers twirled his hair around her elegant fingers, and Joe was comforted by it. He decided that she didn't need to say anything, and he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. She immediately kissed him back, and he could feel a small smile playing on her lips.

"Why Joe," She teased, after they had broken apart, "Making moves on me during captivity?"

Joe smiled, his eyes glancing up at the camera that pointed at them. "I just wanted to give our new friend something to watch. Think of how bored he would get if we just sat here and talked!"

Vanessa laughed, and at the sound of it, Joe smiled. As long as he could make Vanessa laugh, everything would be okay.

Hours later, as Joe finally started to drift off to sleep, soothed by the sound of Vanessa's breathing, he thought phrase again. ' _Everything would be alright._ ' It sounded like a lie, even as it was just in his head. Nothing about this situation was okay, and Joe still doubted that it would become any more so in the future. But still, he held onto hope. ' _Maybe literally,'_ he thought, pulling Vanessa a little closer. ' _Maybe literally.'_

XxXxX

 _ **2:00pm**_

The papers around Frank seemed to mock him. He had gone through every article that Petya Egorov was mentioned in, and every scrap of evidence that he and his father had collected. And yet, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. No correlation between people, no slip-ups, nothing. He slammed his hands down on his desk, his frustration finally getting the best of him.

His head shot up as his door opened, and he saw his father peering at him from the opening.

"A witness just came forward. Collig asked us to come."

Frank felt a surge of hope at his father's words, but also one of confusion. Someone had seen what had happened? Why in the world did they not come forward from the beginning? He stood from his desk, eagerly walking out the door.

"Let's go."

They arrived at the station ten minutes later. Fenton barely had time to turn off the ignition before his son was out of the car, striding towards the doors of the building. Fenton was right behind the next second, eager to see the witness. Collig said nothing to them when he first saw them, knowing exactly what they had come for. He guided them to a private room in the back, and opened the door, revealing a woman and a small child. Fenton instantly walked over to the woman and held out his hand, which she shook as he spoke.

"Hello, my name is Fenton Hardy. I hear you're a witness to the kidnapping that happened yesterday?" He could sense Frank behind him, waiting eagerly for her reply, but instead of the woman's voice, it was Collig's that spoke.

"Fenton, she's not the witness, her son is." Fenton's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. The woman gave him an apologetic smile, and then said in a shaky voice,

"This is my son Benny." She pulled the boy next to her a little closer. Benny looked up at Fenton with blue eyes that looked far too much like Joe's and shrunk back from him, not saying a word. The mother continued to speak. "He's a little shy, and quite traumatized by what he saw. He didn't even tell me about it until this morning, and he couldn't get through it without crying."

Fenton's heart immediately went out to the little boy, who couldn't have been older than six. Bending down on one knee, he addressed the boy. "Hi, Benny is it?" There was a small nod from the boy. It wasn't much, but it was something. "Do you think you could tell me what you saw yesterday?" There was a pause. Fenton's heart sunk as the boy shook his head. Before he could try again, he felt Frank walk up behind him, also kneeling down. He gave his father a look that clearly said, ' _I got this.'_ Fenton gave a small smile, letting Frank take the lead. He held his breath as Frank spoke.

"Hi Benny, my name is Frank." Hearing a different voice, the little boy peeked his head out from where he had been burying it in his mother's side. Frank kept talking, his voice light and calm. "Do you remember that boy and girl you saw yesterday?" A tiny nod from Benny kept him going. "Well, that boy, he's my brother, Joe." This seemingly got the boy's attention.

"Brother?" Benny asked, his voice small and high.

Frank nodded. "Yep, he's my little brother." He paused and gave the boy a wink. "So he's not as cool as me." This prompted a giggle from Benny, who was now looking at Frank with interest, rather than fear. "But even if he is younger than me, and sometimes a little bit crazy, I really want to see him again. You understand, Benny?" Benny nodded attentively, his black hair falling over his face. "And you can help me find him if you tell me what you saw yesterday, okay?"

A flash of fear could be seen in the child's eyes, but he nodded nonetheless. "Okay."

Frank smiled, relieved he got through to the boy. Meeting Benny's eyes, he gave an encouraging look, and prompted, "Any time you want to start, you can. Take all the time you need."

Benny nodded and took a small breath, eyes glancing at the floor. As he talked, his voice was soft, with a faint tremor. "I..I was at the park...playing on the swingset, and I was watching...um..your brother and the girl run around, when then they stopped and started looking scared. Your...your brother grabbed the girls hand and they...they runned to the car. When they got there this scary man came out from behind a tree and grabbed the girl and holded...holded a gun to her head. I couldn't hear what he said. Another man sneaked behind your brother and hit him, and he falled to the ground."

Benny took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Frank nodded encouragingly. "You're doing great, Benny." The little boy began talking again.

"Then after the first guy hit the girl on the head and she falled too. After that one of the guys said ' _We'll hide them right under their noses.'_ and the other guy laughed and said, ' _Under is right.'_ Then they picked them up and took them away. And then I ran away cuz I was scared."

Benny looked close to tears, and Frank noticed this, his hand now resting on Benny's knee.

"Thank you so much, Benny. You really helped us out. Can I ask you one more thing?" Benny gave him a nod. "What did they look like? Do you remember?"

Benny shook his head with verve. "I don't remember...They were scary."

Frank pursed his lips and nodded, thanking Benny and the woman yet again as he and Fenton walked out. Fenton watched his son with a subdued awe, which Frank noticed.

"What's wrong dad?" He asked, his soulful eyes coming to rest on Fenton.

"Nothing, nothing." He replied, shaking his head slightly. "You are just going to be a wonderful father."

Frank smiled bashfully, turning his head to look at the floor. "Thanks, dad." There was a pause before either of them spoke again. It was Fenton who did.

"What Benny said...How one of them said they would hide them right under our noses. They could be close to us, and we don't even know it."

Frank nodded solemnly, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration. "Dad, he said that there were two men. Has anyone else ever mentioned someone other than Egorov?"

Fenton shook his head, recalling everyone he had interviewed. "Not a word about anyone else."

The pair didn't speak again until they reached their car, both of the men's minds spinning. A thought popped into Frank's head as they started to drive.

"Do you think it could have been literal?"

His father glanced at him from the driver's seat, cocking his head to the side. "What could be literal?"

"Under our noses. Could they be underground?"

Fenton thought for a moment, and then slowly started to nod, a feeling of dread dripping over him. "You could be right, we'll have to look into it." He paused. "We have to look into everything."

There was a short silence before Frank spoke, the only noise the sound of the road beneath the car's tires. It was constant, soothing to both the men. Frank's voice was soft as he spoke, his gaze fixed on the road ahead of them.

"We'll find them, Dad. We're going to find them."

XxXxX

 **That concludes another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Please, leave a review, I love reading them!**

 **Till Next Time,**

 **Nix.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow, it has certainly been a hot minute. Sorry about the wait, (the** _ **very**_ **long wait yeesh), but I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for all your comments on the last one. Enjoy!**

 **XxXxX**

The creak of the cell door woke Joe from his slumber, his eyes shooting open to see who was entering. He gripped a waking Vanessa a little tighter as Egorov strolled in, followed closely by Vadim, who, just like last time, held a pair of handcuffs.

A look of defiance took over Joe's face as Egorov smirked at the couple, twisted amusement playing in his dark eyes. His voice sent a chill down Joe's spine.

"Good morning. Or, maybe it's good evening? You wouldn't know, I guess." He rolled his shoulders, nonchalantly pulling his gun from his holster. "Do the same thing as last time. Joseph, stand at the back wall, Vanessa come take a seat."

Joe complied uneasily, squeezing Vanessa's hand as they rose from the bed. He watched with eyes full of anger as she was handcuffed to a chair, and as she flinched when Egorov's gun pressed against her head. Still, the smile that resided on Egorov's face never wavered, even as he spoke.

"Vadim, please, give Joseph his choice." Vadim walked forward, his black hair covering his expression. Bringing a container out from behind his back, he shook the contents onto the floor. This time, instead of a spider, a lizard scurried out. Joe's eyebrows rose, just as confused as last time. Lost in thought, he didn't realize that Vadim had approached him until he was inches from him, holding a knife out. Joe's gaze shot over to Egorov, a questioning look on his face. Egorov simply nodded, and instructed, "Take the knife, Joseph. You will need it if you choose to kill the lizard."

Joe tentatively reached out and grasped the knife, his smoldering eyes remaining on Egorov as he did. Egorov only smirked, adjusting the gun in his hand as he spoke.

"Now, the choice again, Joseph. Kill the lizard or I kill Vanessa. You have a minute and a half to decide."

His words echoed those he had said earlier, Joe noted, his eyes now trying to find the lizard. Of course he would kill the lizard, what choice did he have?

The small reptile's death was quick and clean, and the knife was pulled from his hands as he finished. As an instinct, his grip tightened around the knife, eliciting a small noise of annoyance from Vadim, who then yanked the knife away, receiving a nick in the process. Joe thought nothing of it until he heard Egorov's voice.

"Oh, Joseph," he crooned, anger dripping from the words, "What did I tell you about hurting my brother?"

Joe immediately scoffed, crossing his arms.

"I hurt him? That's a tiny nick that _he_ gave himself."

Joe barely had time to register Egorov's hand coming down on Vanessa's face. He was moving the next moment, screaming bloody murder at Egorov for touching his girlfriend. As he shot forward, Vadim's muscular arms came to wrap around his chest, stopping him from reaching Vanessa. His yells only increased as Vadim brought his hand down again and again, Vanessa's free hand unable to protect from his blows. Her cries of pain made Joe's blood boil, and he struggled fiercely against Vadim's hold. Though strong, he was not strong enough to break from the grasp of a man almost twice his size, and he watched helplessly as Egorov beat his girlfriend. The man only stopped when the chair that Vanessa was cuffed to toppled over, and she curled into a ball to protect herself from his vicious blows.

Egorov smiled at Joe, who was still struggling against Vadim's hold, his blue eyes alight with rage. He walked over and put a hand, slightly damp with Vanessa's blood, under his chin. Chuckling at the look on Joe's face, he spoke loudly.

"Don't touch my brother again, or she will receive worse." A sickly grin grew across his face. "The only reason she isn't dead is because she is pertinent for your choices."

Giving Joe a light slap on the face, he turned on his heel, motioning for Vadim to follow. As soon as Egorov exited the room, Vadim released Joe, who rushed to Vanessa's side. The cell door slammed on the couple, sealing them off once again.

Joe's eyes ran up and down Vanessa, searching for any serious looking injuries. A small breath of relief came from his mouth as he found none, and as Vanessa uncurled from her defensive ball to turn her eyes to look at his.

"It's okay. I'm okay." She told him softly, reaching up to touch his face.

Grabbing her hand, he kissed it gently, shaking his head.

"No, it isn't," he said, his voice thick as he surveyed the new bruises that were starting to form on her face, "This was my fault. I'm sorry, babe. I'm so sorry."

Vanessa shook her head, her eyes closing.

"You can't blame yourself, Joe. You didn't mean to cut him, nor did you make us end up in this situation to begin with. None of this is your fault."

Joe said nothing, watching her with sad eyes. He rubbed her hand gently, pursing his lips. ' _I'll get you out of here, babe. I will...Somehow.'_ He told her in his mind. He helped her sit up slowly, her back now resting against the cell wall. Vanessa huffed as she did so, remarking in an annoyed voice,

"He didn't even uncuff me this time." She pulled gently on the cuff that tethered her to the chair.

Joe sat next to her, a small smirk growing on his face. "He just beat you up, and that's what your mad at?" She only gave him a small smile in response, resting her head back on the wall and closing her eyes, obviously in pain. Joe stroked her hand mindlessly, his eyes wandering up to the ceiling.

' _Anytime you wanna find us Frank, anytime would be good."_ He thought, biting the inside of his cheek.

He stayed awake even as Vanessa gave into sleep, thoughts too loud in his mind for any rest. His bleary eyes hardly noticed the door swinging open some time later, what he assumed to be the next day. He didn't even listen to Egorov's words as he found his place on the back wall, watching with a clenched jaw as Vanessa slowly positioned herself back into the chair, letting out a few hisses as she did so. Egorov's gun found its regular place against Vanessa's head, and Vadim was holding what Joe assumed to be something else he had to kill. He found himself to be correct as a rabbit stared back at him from Vadim's hands, Egorov's familiar words of a choice pounding in his mind. A knife was placed in his hands, and Joe scarcely felt the rabbit's blood flow over his hands.

He watched with defiant eyes as Vadim grabbed the knife from him once again, and picked the rabbit up from the floor, exiting swiftly, though this time stopping quickly to release Vanessa from her cuffs. Egorov left the room without a word, his humoured gaze saying everything he needed to. Joe felt his blood run cold as the door clicked shut, finally realizing what Egorov's game was. His eyes shot to Vanessa, who was slowly making her way over to him.

"It's going to get harder," He said, uncharacteristically quiet. Vanessa looked at him strangely, not understanding.

"What do you mean?" She asked him, placing her hand on his back.

He led her to the bed where they sat down, and Joe spoke again.

"The choices. They've been getting harder already, I just haven't noticed."

Vanessa's eyes widened.

"Oh," she managed, suddenly understanding.

They stayed silent till the next time the door opened, lost in thought.

Joe found his theory to be right as he now stared at the deep brown eyes of a labrador retriever, held in place by Vadim. Egorov had resumed his usual position, the barrel of his gun pressed against Vanessa's temple. Though usual, Joe would never be okay with it, his heart would never stop pounding as he watched his love be threatened day after day.

"Another choice today, Joseph," Egorov equivovated, his voice dripping with false sweetness. "Kill the dog or Vanessa. You will have two minutes to decide. Vadim is going to place a gun on the bed, and you will wait until I say you can pick it up. It only has one bullet in it, and if you shoot either of us, the other will kill Vanessa."

Joe only nodded, his eyes glued to the large animal in front of him. ' _I'm sorry, doggy.'_ He thought sadly, his mind already made up on his choice. Still, he hesitated as his finger hovered over the trigger, pointed neatly between the dog's unsuspecting eyes. This, of course, was the clear choice, but somehow it felt more real to hold a gun in hands, rather than a knife, about to kill something that was so obviously _alive._ Something that would soon no longer have life in his eyes, because of him.

In the corner of his eye, he watched Vanessa flinch as the gunshot rang out. The dog fell to the floor, as did the gun from Joe's hands. He barely heard Egorov's conformation of his choice, his mind lost in thought. The next logical choice he would be given was between Vanessa and another person. He would hate himself either way.

The clang of the cell door shook him from the despair within his mind, and plunged him back into the despair that was his reality. He barely noticed Vanessa grab his hand and pull him back to the small bed, rubbing his back lightly, whispering things he couldn't quite discern. Joe turned slightly to watch her, taking in the haggard look in her eyes. _She shouldn't have to comfort me,_ He thought sadly, reaching up to caress her face, silencing her. Her eyes fluttered up to meet his. Joe shook his head slightly, leaning closer to Vanessa.

"I won't be able to do it." He told her quietly, praying she wouldn't ask for clarification. He didn't know if he could say what he knew he would have to do the next day. She only nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder. Joe was comforted by the gesture, slowly reclining until they were both lying down on the bed, Vanessa's head resting on his chest, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Somehow, they both found sleep that night.

The morning met them nonetheless, with a rude awakening from Egorov's voice, deep and vile. The routine passed Joe by in a blur, his heart slowly sinking as he heard muffled protests come from outside the cell. A moment later, Vadim appeared, a young woman being dragged behind him, her eyes wide and her mouth gagged. Vadim shoved her to the floor, and Egorov grinned from where he held his all too familiar gun to Vanessa's head. His voice sent a chill down Joe's spine.

"It is time for one last choice, Joseph. You have three minutes."

XxXxX

 **Thank you all for reading! Again, sorry about the extremely long wait. (And the cliffhanger?) Anyways, leave a review if you want to, (I love reading them) and have a great rest of your day!**

' **Till Next Time,**

 **Nix.**


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